“The power of an idea lies in the using of it…”
2015 PETIT LE MANS ROAD ATLANTA PRE-RACE REPORT
Road Atlanta, the historic road course nestled in the North Georgia mountains, has been home to the iconic Petit Le Mans race since 1998. The Houston, Texas-based Risi Competizione Ferrari team has been part of that history since the inaugural race.
That first year of the 1,000-mile/10-hour “mini” Le Mans race was won by the Risi Competizione Ferrari 333 SP team of drivers Wayne Taylor, Eric van de Poele and Emmanuel Collard during the World Sports Car era.
Giuseppe Risi, founder and Team Principal of the Risi Competizione team, has brought race cars to the Georgia circuit nearly every year since, with a total of 24 entries in both the Petit Le Mans and the Grand Prix of Atlanta sprint race during the 1998-2005 years.
This year the Risi Competizione Ferrari team will field the No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia with drivers Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy), Pierre Kaffer (Germany) and Toni Vilander (Finland) for the 10-hour IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship finale on Saturday, October 3. All three Risi drivers lay claim to being previous winners at Petit Le Mans.
With five podiums in nine races, including three second place finishes (Sebring, Long Beach and COTA), and two third place finishes (Road America and VIR), victory has not yet come to the fan-favorite Ferrari team this season. But with three victories, 10 podiums and six poles at Road Atlanta, and all victories taking place at the Petit Le Mans race, the Risi team is seeking to repeat history and finally step onto the top of the podium stage this weekend.
Kaffer, who has been driving for Risi Competizione off and on since 2009, has a stellar Petit Le Mans history with two victories (2009, 2011) and one further podium (2004) in just five appearances. Four of those entries were in Ferraris GTs, with one podium and a second place finish with Risi Competizione.
Fisichella, a former Formula 1 driver, will be making his fourth appearance at the Petit Le Mans race; he captured a win in 2011 with teammate Kaffer and Gianmaria Bruni.
Vilander, will also be making his fourth Petit appearance, two of those with Risi Competizione, has one victory in 2012 and a podium in 2010 with Bruni. He also captured a pole position in 2012 with Extreme Speed Motorsports.
GIANCARLO FISICHELLA, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
What is the most challenging part about Petit Le Mans and about the Road Atlanta circuit?
“It’s a fantastic track. It’s not very long, but the shape itself and the shapes of the corner, with the ups and downs, makes me very excited. I like to drive here and Turns 3 and 4 and the last corner before the start/finish, Turn 11 are very good. I like the elevation change. I won here in 2011 with Kaffer and Gianmaria Bruni and I think we have a good pit crew and good drivers line-up to do it again and think we can get a good result.”
PIERRE KAFFER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
You have won here at Petit Le Mans (2009, 2011). What is your favorite part or turn at this circuit and why?
“Well, Atlanta is always a nice place to be, especially in combination with Ferrari. I won here a couple of times with the 430 and 458, including with Risi, and that gives me a good feeling for this weekend. We’ll see what weather we will have for Saturday. I think it will be very competitive and I’m looking forward to driving my Risi Competizione Ferrari race car. Hopefully, if every driver can see the pit exit lights better than last year, because it was a shame how we had to end the race. Apart from that I always have positive memories about this track and am looking forward to it.”
Tell us about Toni Vilander joining you and Giancarlo this weekend.
“I really appreciate that Toni is with us. I have driven together with Toni in Spa a couple of years ago and I’m really looking forward to driving with him here in Atlanta.”
TONI VILANDER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
Welcome back to the Risi Competizione team and share your feelings about being back.
“I’m happy to be back with Risi Competizione. It’s going to be a tough week, a tough race as well. I haven’t raced in TUDOR since Daytona, but it is good to be back. I cannot wait to get back in the car. That’s when the real work starts – with the first impression when I get in the car and get back to driving.
I have worked with Giancarlo very well. I haven’t raced much with Pierre but he’s a professional guy. We’ll do a seat fitting first and see how I fit in the car and then do the normal procedures. I’m not sure about the championship chances but we’ll try to do a good race and score as many points as we can to fight for the top three. It is good to be back with Risi.”
Tell us your thoughts about the Road Atlanta circuit.
“It’s a demanding circuit. The lap is really short and demanding without a lot of time to relax. The back straight is long and the last part and turn are very demanding and a bit particular. Traffic is very intense. I enjoy going downhill on the fast corners. It’s a nice layout when driving alone and very demanding. Last time I was there we won (2012), so I will try to repeat.”
RICK MAYER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Race Engineer:
This is the season finale and it’s Road Atlanta, which has been a good track for Risi Ferrari. What’s your feeling going in?
“We’re looking forward to it because it’s the last race of the season. The red Risi Ferrari has had good history here in the past and we hope that will continue. The year hasn’t been too kind to the Ferrari with the way the rules situation was and the mechanical issues we had at Daytona. But, we’re hoping to wrap up the year with the last running of the 458 on a positive note.”
DAVE SIMS, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Team Manager:
Risi Competizione has had a lot of success at Road Atlanta in the Petit Le Mans race. How’s the feeling going into this weekend?
“We’ve had good history here and we’ve been very successful. We’ve also done not so well here, a couple of years ago, and especially last year with the Porsche. This year, subject to the weather, we plan to do well. We’ve got three really good drivers and a really good balance. Saturday, especially if it’s dry, we have a really good chance of winning this race with these three drivers. So, we’re really looking forward to it.”
Talk about Toni Vilander as a third driver this weekend.
“Toni is so good at coming into the team with the other two drivers without actually changing everything on the car. He’ll come in and adapt very easily to the two other drivers’ style, so it’s a huge plus for us that we got Toni.”
Tune-In Information:
Live TV coverage of Petit Le Mans will start on October 3 from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports 2, then broadcast via the internet on IMSA.com from 12:00-2:30 p.m. From 2:30-7:00 p.m. FOX Sports 2 will again broadcast the race. IMSA.com will show the 7:00-8:30 p.m. broadcast and FOX Sports 2 will carry the last hour live through the podium ceremonies from 8:30-9:30 p.m. On Sunday October 4, FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a three-hour highlight of the Petit Le Mans race from 1:30-4:30 p.m EDT.
For more information, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione and Twitter @RisiComp.
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Seeing It: Photography is Just Point and Shoot,Right?
This piece was written by Taylor Wiseman, one of the 2015 YJP participants at COTA.
Point and Shoot. That was my idea of photography for a long time.
Only in recent years have I realized that photography is a much more difficult skill than I could ever imagine. More difficult, that is, if you want to make a really good photograph.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to work at COTA during the TUDOR United SportsCar race and the Lone Star Le Mans race.
I went in with the intention to write stories for the Risi Comp team but soon realized the amount of talented photographers I had around me.
I’ve always loved photography and the old cliché, “a pictures worth a thousand words’ speaks to me”, so, I decided to give photography a shot along with the writing.
The YJP program, CANON, COTA, and the WEC had all determined, in advance, that each of the student journalists should shoot some photography.
(Editor’s note: Taylor, and the other members of the 2015 YJP Team were supported in their photographic efforts by CANON. Three Professional Marketing Reps from CANON were involved in the program and they brought the latest in CANON’s DSLR equipment–CANON EOS 1D MK IV and CANON EOS 1D X digital single lens reflex cameras along with a wide assortment of lenses, accessories, batteries, chargers, etc–and also provided a lot of solid instruction to the team).
I was fortunate enough to work with a spectacular camera that really made things easier for me as a new photographer. As the day went on and I became more intrigued with the idea of taking a spectacular photo so I wanted to learn more about the camera and its functions.
I was in a room full of camera experts (that doesn’t happen everyday, y’all) so I got a few lessons on what makes a great picture, what the different settings mean and how to pan. I was set right?
Wrong.
First, the good news:
I was taking pictures at COTA a track that is 3.41 miles long, has an iconic tower that needs to be in a couple of shots, is a great track for sunset shots, and has lots of twists and turns.
But…..this track is serious business for photography and is also a bit overwhelming for a new photographer. Luckily photographers around the track were super friendly to me and helped me out if I had a question. The on-site/real-time coaching helped a lot.
Also, remember those photographer shuttles I talked about in an earlier story? The guys behind the wheel helped me out when picking which turn I should go to. They knew what turns were best for certain shots, and what turns were fun to try out to see what you’d capture.
All in all, my experience as a new photographer was great! It could have easily been overwhelming but everyone was so helpful, which made me relax and enjoy the moment.
When I got back to my computer and uploaded my pictures I was really surprised with some of the shots I was able to get. My photography skill level went from point, shoot and hope for the best to hey-look- at-that in one weekend. Again, thank you to all of the professional photographers that helped me out!
A little tid bit of information if you’re ever covering an event at COTA: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT get stuck at Turn 20. The photographer shuttles don’t make their way out there often and it’s a 1.5 mile hike back to the media paddock.
Also, remember to have fun and live in the moment! That’s where the action is happening.
BREAKING NEWS: TONI VILANDER JOINS RISI COMPETIZIONE FOR PETIT LE MAN
The three-time Petit Le Mans winning team of Risi Competizione, has invited Finish Ferrari driver, Toni Vilander, back to its stable for the 17th annual Petit Le Mans, the finale for IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, on October 3, 2015. He will join full-season drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer for the 10-hour/1,000-mile Saturday race at the Braselton, Georgia track.
Vilander has competed with the popular Houston, Texas-based Risi Competizione Ferrari team on two previous occasions at Petit Le Mans, in 2010 in the Ferrari 430 GT2 with Gianmaria Bruni to a third-place finish and in 2011 with Jamie Melo and Raphael Matos in the Ferrari 458 Italia with a DNS. In his third and last appearance at Road Atlanta, Vilander won with Johannes van Overbook and Scott Sharp in the Extreme Speed Ferrari 458 Italia in 2012.
“I’m happy to be back with Risi. It’s going to be a tough week and tough race as well,” said Toni Vilander, a current FIA World Endurance driver. “I haven’t raced in TUDOR since Daytona. I cannot wait to get back in the car. That’s when the real work starts. We can talk about it before but it’s more important for the first impression when I get in the car and drive it. I’m happy to be racing again with Risi and will try to score as many points as we can towards the championship.”
“We’re very happy to have Toni back with us again for this year’s for Petit Le Mans,” said Risi Competizione Team Manager David Sims. “He’s a long-time friend of the Risi team and a fantastic Ferrari driver for many years. In 2012 he was part of our 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, alongside Giancarlo Fisichella and Gianmaria Bruni, and that will always be a special memory. Now we hope he, Giancarlo and Pierre can add a third Petit Le Mans victory for us this year.”
Tune-In Information:
Live TV coverage of Petit Le Mans will start on October 3 from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports 2, then broadcast via the internet on IMSA.com from 12:00-2:30 p.m. From 2:30-7:00 p.m. FOX Sports 2 will again broadcast the race. IMSA.com will show the 7:00-8:30 p.m. broadcast and FOX Sports 2 will carry the last hour live through the podium ceremonies from 8:30-9:30 p.m. On Sunday October 4, FOX Sports 1 will broadcast a three-hour highlight of the Petit Le Mans race from 1:30-4:30 p.m EDT.
For more information, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione and Twitter @RisiComp.
Track Men
Spent the weekend at Circuit of the Americas, where two major sports car races were being conducted in one day. The first was the IMSA/TUDOR United Sports Car Championship series race, which took place in the morning; it was a 2 hour and 40 minute race and our team (Risi Competizione) took a very respectable 2nd place (the third of the season), after difficult practice and qualifying sessions. The second race was the World Endurance Championship 6 Hour event, which started in sunlight at 5:00PM and finished at 11:00PM. That event brought all the big international factory endurance racing teams to Austin, Texas.
It was quite a race and Giles Richard, a writer for The Guardian, a newspaper in the UK, did a very nice piece on it. There will be more on the race weekend later, but for now…please click to Gile’s piece on the WEC.
The Fine Print: Photo (C) 2015, Donald Pierce. All rights reserved.
2015 LONE STAR GRAND PRIX AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS RISI COMPETIZIONE CAPTURES ANOTHER PODIUM
Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia GT No. 62:
Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA)
Pierre Kaffer (DEU)
Houston, Texas (September 19, 2015)…The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia team captured its fifth podium finish of the 2015 IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in the Lone Star Le Mans race today at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
After qualifying eighth in the GTLM class and struggling in the early running of the race, Risi Competizione drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer, with the help of their stellar pit crew, brought their Ferrari 458 Italia from last in class to second place.
The Houston, Texas-based Risi Competizione team is known for their quick and flawless pit stops and, once again, it paid off when another excellent pit stop elevated the No. 62 Prancing Horse to fourth place when on Lap 40 nearly the entire field pitted under caution. Fisichella, who drove both the first and last stints, continued to push the No. 62 Ferrari and brought the car up to third place by Lap 70 of the 73 lap race. The team’s fuel strategy and tire compound change played into the final result, when the second-place Porsche required pit for a splash of fuel with just two minutes to go. Fisichella easily drove the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia to the checked flag in second place.
Today’s podium finish was the fifth of the season and the team’s third second-place finish at Sebring and Long Beach. Third place finish results were achieved at Road America and VIR, making this the third podium finish in a row.
GIANCARLO FISICHELLA, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
“It was a fantastic finish. We were last in the qualifying session and at the beginning of the race the pace was not there. Then I made a different choice of the tires and that was the right one. But the key was the pit stop where I got out (of the pits in) fourth and overtook the Corvette. The BMW was a bit quicker than us today and at the end the Porsche was limited on fuel and had to do an extra pit stop. I was saving fuel and that’s why we could go even quicker, but we decided to run like this and go through to the end of the race.”
PIERRE KAFFER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia, Risi Competizione Driver:
“First of all, thanks to the whole Risi Competizione team. After this weekend we are all a lot stronger because it was a team effort. We struggled a lot in all the practice sessions, and especially in qualifying, where I have to say we ran out of ideas. In the race suddenly we picked up some pace and could stay clean. When it comes to the points and we need to perform in the pits, we are always there. I think that was the biggest key today. I could stay in touch with the BMW and we came in bumper-to-bumper and had an awesome pit stop. We went out in fourth position. In the end, thanks to our strategy guys, they calculated the fuel perfectly and we did not have to do a splash. That was the key to the race and set the other competitors under pressure, like at VIR. Nobody expected us to finish second here and I think this is a great result. I believe the championship is still open now. I’m really happy for the whole team, for Giuseppe Risi and thanks to my teammate, Giancarlo. He really stayed focused and did a great job in the second stint. Now I can look forward to my WEC race this afternoon. Hopefully it will be the same result as this race.”
RICK MAYER, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Race Engineer:
“We’re just really happy with the podium, especially P2. We actually had a shot at the win today because it ended up being a fuel mileage race at the end and we’re pretty good at that strategy. Unfortunately, this track doesn’t suit our car and the current rules don’t suit our car. We knew we weren’t going to be competitive here. We had a really good second pit stop and the strategy played out to put us ahead of the guys who still had to stop. We’re quite happy with that. It’s almost like a win for us.”
DAVE SIMS, No. 62 Ferrari 458 Italia Risi Competizione Team Manager:
“During practice we were struggling, and we were in the race as well. We decided to put hard compound (tires) on for the last stint with Giancarlo in the car and it paid off. The pit stop worked fantastic and got us to P2. We’re happy definitely with that.”
Tune-In Information:
The Lone Star Le Mans race will re-air on FOX Sports 1, Sunday, September 20 at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
The next and final race for the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship for Risi Competizione is the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, October 1-3.
For more information, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione and Twitter @RisiComp.
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Ferrari Super Fans–All In For the Prancing Horse
This article was written by Rachel Wenzlaff, a member of the 2015 Young Journalist program conducted at COTA.
The Circuit of the Americas is considered Risi Competizione’s home track. The Ferrari team is based out of Houston but COTA is the closest track to their home base.
The two and a half hour drive from Houston to Austin is a much easier trip than traveling to Europe, but it can be dull.
The actual racing Ferrari that will compete on the track doesn’t hit the concrete until it arrives at COTA. It hitches a ride in an 18-wheeler Ferrari truck for the journey from Houston to Austin.
But there was at least one Ferrari tearing through the Texas country roads.
Bob and Chris Dernick are racing fanatics, but more notably they are Ferrari fanatics. The Dernicks have been to Museo Enzo Ferrari in Italy, Daytona and as many races as their schedules will allow to keep tabs on their favorite car.
Traveling across the globe to follow Risi Competizione and their Ferraris, wasn’t enough so the Dernicks purchased their own Ferrari… and then another, both of which they bought from the dealership in Houston.
Bob has used his purchases to begin amateur racing, and what better way to use his new skills and make the trek west to the Lone Star Le Mans than in one of his Ferraris?
Taking their Ferrari isn’t always possible for international travel, but they drive it to races as often as they can.
“Other cars are boring,” Chris said. “If you drive a Ferrari once, you don’t drive any other car.”
Their allegiance to Ferrari is deep. When they strolled up to the Paddock for the autograph session, they were decked out in all things Ferrari: shirts, hats, shoes (which apparently exist) and even phone cases.
And still they can’t get enough. Bob says the couple plans to buy a third Ferrari in the near future.
One Man's Quest To Fill An Encyclopedia
By Rachel Wenzlaff, a member of the Young Journalist Program.
Surrounded by some of the most expensive cars in the world at the Lone Star Le Mans, Shane Slement carried a priceless book in his hands… that was also probably worth a hefty sum of money.
The Saturday morning autograph session kicked off and people began to trickle into the paddock. A line formed in front of the Ferrari truck. Some fans handed the drivers, Pierre Kaffer and Giancarlo Fisichella, t-shirts, hats, and pictures to sign, while others simply wanted autographs down their arms or across their forehead. But Slement slapped a large book onto the table.
He flipped through the pages filled with pictures and scribbled names, before finally settling on a page he was satisfied with. Kaffer and Fisichella signed their autographs, Slement closed the book and was on his way to the next table for more names.
Slement has been going to races since he was 6 weeks old, but starting in 2007, he began carrying around a 1970’s racing encyclopedia and filling it with signatures.
He’s worked for Porsche for the past nine years, but that doesn’t stop him from getting autographs from all companies and drivers; everyone from Sir Stirling Moss to Carroll Shelby.
He’ll continue carrying the book with him to races until he’s content with the number of autographs it holds, which, based on the thick spin of the book and vast number of signatures already in it, won’t be any time soon.
One Man’s Quest To Fill An Encyclopedia
By Rachel Wenzlaff, a member of the Young Journalist Program.
Surrounded by some of the most expensive cars in the world at the Lone Star Le Mans, Shane Slement carried a priceless book in his hands… that was also probably worth a hefty sum of money.
The Saturday morning autograph session kicked off and people began to trickle into the paddock. A line formed in front of the Ferrari truck. Some fans handed the drivers, Pierre Kaffer and Giancarlo Fisichella, t-shirts, hats, and pictures to sign, while others simply wanted autographs down their arms or across their forehead. But Slement slapped a large book onto the table.
He flipped through the pages filled with pictures and scribbled names, before finally settling on a page he was satisfied with. Kaffer and Fisichella signed their autographs, Slement closed the book and was on his way to the next table for more names.
Slement has been going to races since he was 6 weeks old, but starting in 2007, he began carrying around a 1970’s racing encyclopedia and filling it with signatures.
He’s worked for Porsche for the past nine years, but that doesn’t stop him from getting autographs from all companies and drivers; everyone from Sir Stirling Moss to Carroll Shelby.
He’ll continue carrying the book with him to races until he’s content with the number of autographs it holds, which, based on the thick spin of the book and vast number of signatures already in it, won’t be any time soon.
Risi Comp at COTA: A Race and Post Race Gallery
Daulton Venglar, one of the Young Journalists at COTA this weekend in a program sponsored by Risi Competizione and COTA, took this gallery of photos of the Risi Comp Ferrari 458 on its’ way to a second place finish in the TUDOR series race.
